Amtrak adds capacity as freeway closure continues to impact Santa Barbara County

The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner® added railcars to each of its 10 daily trains serving Santa Barbara County, providing more than 2,000 additional seats to help accommodate increased travel demand due to the continued closure of Highway 101 following landslides near Montecito, Calif.

Since train tracks reopened on Jan. 11, the Pacific Surfliner has served as the only viable ground transportation option between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, as drive time on alternate routes between the two counties can take nearly four hours. The Pacific Surfliner travels between Ventura and Santa Barbara in approximately 45 minutes.

Due to the limited transportation options, Pacific Surfliner trains have been extremely busy, with demand exceeding available seating capacity. Extra railcars that had already been added to select Pacific Surfliner trains for the past two days using available equipment are being supplemented by the arrival of eight additional railcars and three locomotives from northern California, which will add up to 270 extra seats per train.

In response to the large influx of people commuting to Santa Barbara and Goleta by train during the closure of Highway 101, Santa Barbara MTD is providing free last mile service from the Santa Barbara and Goleta Amtrak Stations to area transit connections and employment centers.

The booster service will run Monday through Friday until further notice. All shuttles will run beginning with the first northbound train arrival mid-morning until 7 p.m.